SHUT UP AND JOKE

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WHY I LEARNED TO START WORRYING ABOUT MY COUNTRY AGAINAND STOP KEEPING QUIET FOR THE STATUS QUO

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THESE are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.

— Thomas Paine, The Crisis, 1776

Did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts?Hot ashes for trees? Hot air for a cool breeze?Cold comfort for change? And did you exchangea walk on part in the war for a leading role in a cage?

— David Gilmour, Wish You Were Here, 1975

AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK...

someone close to me will say a variation of this phrase:

"I'm sick and tired of hearing about politics."

I usually nod along and say, 'Yeah, me too,' which they never seem to believe. But it's true. I am sick to death of hearing about politics.

Ever since Donald Trump's surprise victory on November 8th last year, everybody seems to be obsessed with American politics. And not just in the United States either. A quick Google search reveals thousands of news reports, articles, and think-pieces about the current state of the American administration. And I'm sick of it.

Waking up each morning in 2017 is akin to emerging from a long-term coma. Each new day brings a new set of questions: What did I miss overnight? What's happening? Wait, who said THAT?! Frankly, it's exhausting. The sheer pace of news updates and information and opinions is overwhelming, especially in a world that is already very overwhelming. It's enough that in a recent series of interviews conducted by the Associated Press, one Trump supporter is quoted as saying:

“I tuned it out. I didn’t want to be depressed. I don’t want to feel that he’s not doing what he said, so I just choose to not listen.”

Again, I understand the impulse. I wish I could just tune it out too, but every time I try, I find that I just can't pull myself away. I want nothing more than to wake up in the morning, crack a couple dumb jokes about what's happening in my world, and go about my day. But it's just not that easy.

So I'm writing this. I hope that this page will address a couple lingering questions from my friends and family about why I 'can't just let this go' when it comes to American politics and the state of the world.

Who knows. Maybe along the way I'll convince you to start caring too.

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寧為太平犬莫做亂離人

(Better to be a dog in a peaceful time,than to be a human in a chaotic period)

— F. Menglong, Stories to Awaken the World, 1627

And you tell me over and over and over and over again my friend, you don’t believe we’re on the eve of destruction.

— Barry McGuire, Eve of Destruction, 1964

THE WORLD AT LARGE

One of the most important things to remember is that we, the current generation, are living in one of the most important times in all of human history.

That's why it's so important that, as we navigate these difficult decisions and situations, we select the people who will best represent our interests. Not our personal interests, necessarily, but the best interests of our nation, our species, and indeed, our planet. Our elected officials are our voice to the world at large, and we need to trust that they're looking out for our best interests. The only way to do that is with accountability -- knowing what's going on, and reacting appropriately to make sure it's in line with what we expect.

Chad Zuber / Shutterstock.com

Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country.

— Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1938

The only difference between Las Vegas and Washington, D.C. is that at least Vegas has the decency to admit the town is full of hookers and crooks.

— Glenn Beck, 2013

THE 'NEW' NORMAL

In political science, there's a term known as the Overton window. The concept itself is simple: in public life, there is a 'window', or frame of reference, that society will see as 'normal' behavior. Over time, the Overton window has a tendency to shift; for instance, the idea of racially segregated bathrooms is inconceivable in 2017, but was a relatively common occurrence in the 1940's. With new behavior, the Overton window shifts on what the public allows and doesn't allow, so it becomes important to monitor societal changes and ideas to ensure that we're shifting the window in a positive, affirming direction.

That's why the election of Donald Trump has been so troublesome for so many Americans. Many of the values held by President Trump and his associates stand in direct opposition to the views held by a large majority of the country.

That's why it's important for people to continue to point out the hypocrisy and hate currently festering in America. We, as a nation, need to collectively remind each other that this hyper-offensive, derogatory period in our country's history isn't the new normal: it's an abnormal insult to everything that makes this country great.

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You start out in 1954 by saying, “N*****, n*****, n*****.” By 1968 you can’t say “n*****”—that hurts you, backfires. So you say stuff like, uh, forced busing, states’ rights, and all that stuff, and you’re getting so abstract. Now, you’re talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you’re talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is, blacks get hurt worse than whites.… “We want to cut this,” is much more abstract than even the busing thing, uh, and a hell of a lot more abstract than “N*****, n*****.”

— Lee Atwater, Republican consultant, 1981

Racism’s still alive, they just be concealin’ it.But I know they don’t want me in the damn club, they even made me show ID to get inside of Sam’s Club.

— Kanye West, Never Let Me Down, 2004

THE BRUTAL TRUTH

In honesty, this is a fight that I could walk away from. The current Trump administration doesn't threaten me personally in any way. I'm a white dude, middle class, college educated, and straight. I live in a Republican state that is very friendly towards business rights and less so towards civil rights. Statistically and politically speaking, I'll be just fine. I'm the faceless majority. Nobody's coming for my rights, because there's too many of me.

My friends and neighbors aren't so lucky. From my desk here, I can see the house of my neighbor: a British-born Muslim who told us, immediately after the last Presidential election, that she didn't necessarily feel safe in America any more. The owner of my favorite restaurant, a Sikh, mentioned recently that he's been subject to several pointed questions about his legal status, religion, and patriotism from what I can only assume are ignorant customers who don't realize the difference between Muslims and Sikhs are about 2,347 miles and also literally everything else. I can go on my Facebook feed and find the concerns of several first-generation immigrants who are legal citizens, but whose lives have been complicated by the anti-immigrant rhetoric that has sprung up following the last election.

I can look away, but they can't.

I can ignore the news and pretend everything is fine, but they don't have that luxury.

So I'm choosing not to. I'm choosing to accept the world just as they are: straight on, unflinchingly, and as uncompromisingly as possible.

I remember the America I grew up in. I remember the ideas that I thought made it great. And I believe it's my obligation to keep reminding you of those same things.